Killeely () is a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

that lies partly in

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

and partly in

County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Location

Part of the parish lies within the north liberties of the city of

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

, but most lies in the barony of Bunratty Lower of County Clare, from Limerick on the road to

Ennis Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in Cou ...

, and bordering the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( or archaic ') is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of I ...

. The parish reaches east almost to the old Thomond bridge of Limerick. It reaches northwest from the Shannon, rising to a height of in the north. It is , covering in the Bunratty section, in the Barony of Pubblebrien in county Limerick and in the city of Limerick.

Antiquities

The patron saint of the parish is probably the virgin saint Faoile, of Atheliath Meadraidhe, in the county of Galway. The part of the parish in the city of Limerick has a graveyard called Killeely churchyard, but there is no trace of a church. In the County Clare portion there is the graveyard of Moneen-na-gliggin (the little bog of the sculls), still in use in 1897, and the ruined church of Cratloe Moyle. This church seems to have served as an oratory to the adjoining castle of Cratloe Moyle. In 1580 this castle was owned by Shane MacNamara. The other castles on the Clare side were Cratloe Keel, property of Donald MacNamara in 1580 and still occupied in 1897, and Cratloe-more, which had been demolished for building materials. Near Cratloe Moyle is a holy well dedicated to

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

. The parish contains the hamlet of Meelick. In 1837 the parish was within the Catholic districts of Meelick and Thomond Gate, or St. Lelia. The total population in 1841 was 5,065 in 797 houses. Until the mid-19th century there was a ruin known as the Friary in the grounds of Cratloe House, but it was removed to improve the view.

Townlands

The parish contains the

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

s of Ballyvoughallan, Boolanacausk, Bullsfarm, Burtonhill, Cratloe, Cratloekeel, Cratloemoyle, Derry Beg, Derry More, Knocknaskeagh, Knockroe, Lakyle, Meelick, Moneennagliggin North or Boston, Moneennagliggin South, Pass, Punchbowl, Stonepark and Woodcockhill.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * {{Civil parishes of County Clare Civil parishes of County Clare Civil parishes of County Limerick